Scoring content based on social interaction

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage medium, for identifying a set of items of digital content displayed to a user; processing the set of items to identify a set of boost items, items within the set of boost items to be prominently displayed, processing comprising: receiving a close-ties score associated with a respective item, the close-ties score representing a relationship between the user and other users associated with the respective item and an importance of a social circle associated with the item to the user, determining that the close-ties score associated with the respective item exceeds a threshold close-ties score, and in response to determining that the close-ties score exceeds the threshold close-ties score, adding the respective item to the set of boost items; providing instructions for boosting a display of items in the set of boost items in a page displayed to the user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/751,987, filed on Jun. 26, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/798,968, filed on Mar. 13, 2013, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,098,176, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/614,490, filed on Mar. 22, 2012, the disclosure ofwhich are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

This specification generally relates to scoring content based on socialinteraction. Internet-based social networking services provide a digitalmedium for users to interact with one another and share information. Forexamples, users are able to distribute digital content (e.g., textualcomments, digital images, digital videos, digital audio, hyperlinks towebsites, etc.) to other users that they might be connected with in thesocial networking service. Digital content that is distributed to a usercan be displayed to the user in a stream page.

As a user's social network within the social networking serviceincreases, the amount of digital content distributed to the user and theamount of digital content that the user interacts with can significantlyincrease. Consequently, the user's stream page may overwhelm the userwith digital content, and the user can miss reading digital content.

SUMMARY

In general, innovative aspects of the subject matter described in thisdisclosure may be embodied in methods that include actions ofidentifying a set of items of digital content to be displayed to a userof a social networking service; processing the set of items to identifya set of boost items, items within the set of boost items to beprominently displayed, processing including: receiving a close-tiesscore associated with a respective item, the close-ties scorerepresenting a relationship between the user and other users associatedwith the respective item and an importance of a social circle associatedwith the item to the user, determining that the close-ties scoreassociated with the respective item exceeds a threshold close-tiesscore, and, in response to determining that the close-ties score exceedsthe threshold close-ties score, adding the respective item to the set ofboost items; and providing instructions for boosting a display of one ormore items in the set of boost items in a page displayed to the user.Other implementations of this aspect include corresponding systems,apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions ofthe methods, encoded on computer storage devices.

Innovative aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosuremay be embodied in methods that include actions of identifying a set ofitems of digital content; processing the set of items to identify one ormore of the items, processing including: determining a close-ties scoreassociated with a respective item, the close-ties score representing arelationship between the user and other users associated with therespective item and an importance of a channel associated with the itemto the user, determining that the close-ties score associated with therespective item exceeds a threshold close-ties score, and, in responseto determining that the close-ties score exceeds the thresholdclose-ties score, adding the respective item to a set of boost items;and providing instructions for boosting a display of one or more itemsin the set of boost items in a page displayed to the user. Otherimplementations of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus,and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods,encoded on computer storage devices.

These and other implementations may each optionally include one or moreof the following features. For instance, actions further includedefining a sub-set of boost items based on the set of boost items, thesub-set of boost items including less items than the set of boost items;processing further includes: determining that the respective item ispotentially unread by the user, and adding the respective item to theset of boost items further in response to determining that therespective item is potentially unread by the user; processing furtherincludes: determining that the respective item was distributed throughthe social networking service within a threshold time period based on atimestamp associated with the respective item, and adding the respectiveitem to the set of boost items further in response to determining thatthe respective item was distributed through the social networkingservice within the threshold time period; the close-ties score of therespective item is determined based on interactions between the user andan author user of the respective item within one or morecomputer-implemented services; the one or more computer-implementedservices include one or more of an electronic message service, a chatservice and the social networking service; the interactions are at leastpartially based on a number of items that the author user hasdistributed to the user within the social networking service; theclose-ties score of the respective item is determined based oninteractions between the user and one or more participant usersassociated with the respective item, the interactions occurring withinone or more computer-implemented services; the one or more participantusers include at least one of a recipient user that the respective itemwas distributed to within the social networking service and aninteracting user that interacted with the respective item within thesocial networking service; the close-ties score of the respective itemis determined based on social circle interactions between the user andthe social circle, the social circle having been defined by the userwithin the social networking service; an author user of the respectiveitem is a member of the social circle; the social circle is identifiedfrom a plurality of social circles defined by the user that an authoruser of the respective item is a member of; the social circle isassociated with a user-to-circle interactions score that is determinedbased on one or more of a volume associated with the social circle,interaction reciprocity between the user and members of the socialcircle, and contact reciprocity between the user and the members of thesocial circle; and a number of items provided in the sub-set of boostitems is capped based on a threshold number of items that are to beboosted within a predefined time period.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matterdescribed in this specification are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other potential features, aspects,and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from thedescription, the drawings, and the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example network architecture.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example social network including socialcircles.

FIG. 3 depicts a screen-shot of example graphical user interface forcreating and maintaining social circles.

FIG. 4 depicts a screen-shot of an example stream page for a user of asocial networking service.

FIG. 5 depicts example item boosting in accordance with implementationsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process that can be executed inimplementations of the present disclosure.

Like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In general, some implementations of the present disclosure are directedto selectively boosting items displayed in pages displayed to users of asocial networking service. In some examples, a page can include a streampage that displays digital content that has been posted by the user tothe social networking service and/or digital content distributed to theuser through the social networking service. In some pages, a page caninclude a search results page that displays digital content that hasbeen posted by the user to the social networking service and/or digitalcontent distributed to the user through the social networking service assearch results responsive to a submitted query. In particular,implementations of the present disclosure are directed to boosting itemsincluded in a plurality of items displayed to a user within a pagedisplayed to the user. In some implementations, boosting an item caninclude prominently displaying the item within the page. In someexamples, boosting includes changing a position of the item within thestream page. In some examples, boosting includes applying one or morevisual and/or audible effects to the item. In some examples, each itemthat is to be displayed in the page is associated with an item score anda timestamp. Items can be displayed within the page of the user based onthe respective item scores and/or timestamps. In some implementationsthe item score is provided as a close-ties score that represents arelationship between the user and one or more other users associatedwith the item. In some examples, the close-ties score represents arelative strength of the relationship between the user and the one ormore other users associated with the item. In some examples, and basedon respective close ties scores, unread items can be boosted to bedisplayed more prominently to the user.

For purposes of illustration, an example social networking service willbe described. The example social networking service enables users toorganize contacts into communications channels provided as socialcircles. It is appreciated, however, that implementations of the presentdisclosure can be used in other types of social networking services andare not limited to social networking services that include socialcircles.

In general, social circles are categories to which a user can assigncontacts and better control the distribution and visibility of socialnetworking items and/or other digital content distributed using thesocial networking service. In this manner, a social circle can functionas a channel, or a portion of a channel, through which digital contentcan be distributed. In some implementations, a social circle can beprovided as a data set defining a collection of contacts that areassociated with one another in a computer-implemented social networkingservice. Generally, a social circle can be described from theperspective of an individual that is the center of a particularcollection of socially interconnected people, or from the aggregateperspective of a collection of socially interconnected people. A socialcircle can have narrowly defined boundaries (e.g., members of the socialcircle might be familiar with one another) and permission may berequired for a member to join a social circle. A user of the socialnetworking service can define a social circle. The social circle, as adata set defining a collection of contacts, may reflect real-life socialconnections and/or interactions of the user. In some implementations, asocial circle can be defined by a user as a personal representation orgrouping of a set of contacts, the contacts may be unaware of the socialcircle and/or unaware of other members of the social circle.

Through the creation and use of social circles, the user can organizeand categorize social networking contacts into various differentgroupings that can be used to control the visibility and access thosecontacts have to the user's postings, digital pictures, videos, audiofiles, hyperlinks (e.g., uniform resource indicators, URIs), and/orother content associated with the user's social networking profile. Asone example, the user can post an update about a work-related nuance toonly a “coworker” circle, and spare other contacts within the socialnetworking service from seeing information that is irrelevant to them.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example network architecture 100. The networkarchitecture 100 includes a number of client devices 102, 104, 106, 108,110 communicably connected to a server system 112 by a network 114. Theserver system 112 includes a processing device 116 and a data store 118.The processing device 116 executes computer instructions (e.g., socialnetwork computer program code, and/or IM computer program code) storedin the data store 118 to perform the functions of a social networkserver and/or IM server.

Users of the client devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 access the serverdevice 112 to participate in a social networking service. For example,the client devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 can execute web browserapplications that can be used to access the social networking serviceand/or an IM service. In another example, the client devices 102, 104,106, 108, 110 can execute software applications that are specific to thesocial networking service and/or the IM service (e.g., social networkingand/or IM “apps” running on smartphones).

Users interacting with the client devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 canparticipate in one or more computer-implemented services provided by oneor more service providers. Example computer-implemented services caninclude the social networking service, a micro-blogging service, ablogging service, a document sharing service, an image sharing serviceand a video sharing service. By way of examples, user can participate inthe social networking service provided by the server system 112 bydistributing digital content, such as text comments (e.g., updates,announcements, replies), digital images, videos, audio files, and/orother appropriate digital content. In some implementations, informationcan be posted on a user's behalf by systems and/or services external tothe social networking service or the server system 112. For example, theuser may post a review of a movie to a movie review website, and withproper permissions that website may cross-post the review to the socialnetworking service on the user's behalf. In another example, a softwareapplication executing on a mobile device, with proper permissions, mayuse global positioning system (GPS) capabilities to determine the user'slocation and automatically update the social network with his location(e.g., “At Home”, “At Work”, “In Brownsdale, Minn.”). Generally, usersinteracting with the client device 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 can also usethe social networking service provided by the server system 112 todefine social circles to organize and categorize the user'srelationships to other users of the social networking service. Examplesof the creation and use of social circles are provided in thedescription of FIG. 2.

In some implementations, the client devices 102, 104, 106, 108, 110 canbe provided as computing devices such as laptop or desktop computers,smartphones, personal digital assistants, portable media players, tabletcomputers, or other appropriate computing devices that can be used tocommunicate with an electronic social network. In some implementations,the server system 112 can be a single computing device such as acomputer server. In some implementations, the server system 112 canrepresent more than one computing device working together to perform theactions of a server computer (e.g., cloud computing). In someimplementations, the network 114 can be a public communication network(e.g., the Internet, cellular data network, dialup modems over atelephone network) or a private communications network (e.g., privateLAN, leased lines).

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example social network 200 including socialcircles. A user 202 is a member of a social network that supports thecreation and use of social circles (e.g., the social network provided bythe server device 112 of FIG. 1). In the present example, the user 202has a number of contacts 204 a-204 i with which the user 202 can havesome form of relationship (e.g., friends, coworkers, customers,teammates, clients, relatives, club members, classmates). The user 202categorizes the contacts 204 a-204 i by assigning them to one or moresocial circles, such as a social circle 210, a social circle 220, and asocial circle 230. A social circle 240, which has a number of contacts242 a-242 c, is provided as a query-based social circle that can beautomatically generated without input from the user 202. In someimplementations, the social circle 240 can be generated based oninformation gathered from and has some commonality among the user 202and the users 242 a-242 c (e.g., items, uploaded photos, check-ins,volunteered location information).

The social circle 210 is a personal circle. In some implementations,personal circles are groupings created by and may be known only to theuser 202 (e.g., the contacts 204 a, 204 b may receive no indication thatthey are in the user's 202 personal social circle 210). In someimplementations, personal social circles are groupings created by theuser 202 and may be known to the user 202 as well as the contacts (e.g.,contacts 204 a, 204 b) that are members of the social circle (e.g., thecontacts 204 a, 204 b receive an indication that they have been added tothe personal social circle 210).

In some implementations, personal circles may be used to organize andcategorize the contacts 204 a-204 i in ways that are relevant to theuser 202. In some implementations, the user 202 may use personal socialcircles to organize contacts in order to discretely target which of hiscontacts 204 a-204 i will see certain postings or have access toparticular information. For example, the user 202 may be planning asurprise party for a small group of friends. As such, the user canorganize contacts into “Surprise Party Attendees” and “Surprise PartyHonorees” personal circles. By doing so, the user 202 may better targetselected postings to the friends attending and/or helping to plan thesurprise party (e.g., Surprise Party Attendees), while targetingselected postings to friends that are to be honored at the surpriseparty (e.g., Surprise Party Honorees) to maintain the integrity of thesurprise.

The social circle 220 is a shared private circle, which may also bereferred to simply as a shared circle. In general, shared privatecircles are social circles that the user 202 creates and invitescontacts to voluntarily join. Contacts that accept the invitation becomemembers of the shared private circle. Members of a shared private circlecan see information posted to that circle by the user 202 and can postinformation to be shared with other members of the shared privatecircle. For example, the user 202 may tend to post a large number ofjokes to the social network. However, while some of the contacts 204a-204 i may find the jokes to be entertaining, others may find them tobe simply annoying. Realizing this, the user 202 may create a “jokes”shared private circle and invite some or all of the contacts 204 a-204 ito join. With the “jokes” social circle in place, the user 202 may postwitticisms to the “jokes” circle, and only those contacts who haveaccepted the invitation are able to see the comicality of the user 202.Similarly, members of the shared private circle are able to postmessages to the circle, and those items are visible to other members ofthat circle.

The social circle 230 is a shared public circle. In general, sharedpublic circles are social circles that the user 202 creates, and invitescontacts to voluntarily join. Further, the existence of a shared publiccircle is publicly available such that other users of the socialnetworking service (e.g., not necessarily just the user's 202 contacts204 a-204 i) may request to join the public social circle. Members ofshared public circles may post information to, and see updates postedby, other members of the same public shared circle. In someimplementations, public shares circles may be “fan” or “group” circles(e.g., circles dedicated to a particular place, event, product, movie,celebrity, sports team, company, concept, philosophy, organization,support network). For example, the user 202 may create a shared publiccircle for his band, and fans of his act may join the circle to discussupcoming shows, download MP3s of the band's music, or post videos fromrecent concerts. In another example, the user 202 may create a sharedpublic circle for alumni of his high school graduating class, which hisformer classmates may find and join in order to stay in touch with oneanother and post pictures from their school days. Once a shared publiccircle is created, in some implementations the user 202 can invitepeople to join the circle. In some implementations, nonmembers of thecircle can request membership in the shared public circle, andmembership in a shared public circle may be automatic upon request, ormay require the user's 202 approval to become members of the sharedpublic circle.

In some implementations, one or more default social circles can beprovided or suggested to a user when the user subscribes to a socialnetworking service. For example, “Friends,” “Family,” and “Coworkers”social circles can automatically be provided in a user's profile uponthe user subscribing to the particular social networking service. Othersocial circles can automatically be provided including, for example, an“Acquaintances” social circle and/or a “Just Following” social circle.In some implementations, the automatically created or suggested socialcircles can include personal social circles. Although default socialcircles can be automatically provided, it may be left to the user toactually populate the default social circles with contacts. For example,each of the default social circles may initially be empty of contacts,and the user populates each of the default social circles as discussedin further detail herein.

As discussed herein, digital content can be distributed to contactswithin the social networking service including one or more socialcircles, such that they are exclusively viewable by the indicatedcontacts and/or contacts within one or more indicated social circles.For example, a user of the social networking service can generate anitem and indicate one or more social circles for distribution of theitem. In some implementations, an auto-complete component enables theuser to type in part of the name of a social circle and/or individualcontact to specify which social circles and/or individual contactsrequire delivery of the item content. During an item write-time, an itemdata set is transmitted from the user's client computing device (e.g.,client device 102 of FIG. 1) to a distribution hub, which can beprovided at a server (e.g., server system 112 of FIG. 1). The item dataset includes a plurality of data. In some implementations, the item dataset includes item content data (e.g., text, uniform resource indicator(URI)), timestamp data (e.g., a timestamp indicating the time that theitem was generated), distribution data (e.g., contacts and/or one ormore social circles), and identification (ID) data (e.g., an ID assignedto the item data set upon generation of the item).

In some implementations, and as discussed in further detail herein,other data can be appended to item data sets. An example of other datacan be scoring data. In some examples, scoring data can include closeties scores and/or scores that can be used to determine close tiesscores, as discussed in further detail herein. In some examples, otherdata can include read data. In some examples, read data can be providedfor each recipient identified in the distribution associated with theitem. The read data can indicate whether a particular recipientpotentially read the item since the item was distributed. In thismanner, it can be determined which recipients have potentially read theitem, and which recipients have potentially not read the item. Item datasets can be stored in an item repository (e.g., a database) and the datacan be periodically updated. In some examples, the data is updated inresponse to the occurrence of an event to the item. The data associatedwith the item can be retrieved for ranking and ordering of the itemwithin a stream page of a user, as discussed in further detail herein.

In some implementations, the distribution data is processed to providean access control list (ACL) that specifies which contacts within thesocial networking system are granted access to the item content. In someimplementations, social affinity scores can also be processed to providethe ACL. For example, the distribution data can indicate that the itemcontent is to be accessible by and/or distributed to a particular user.A social affinity score can be determined for the item and can bespecific to a relationship between the item recipient and the author ofthe item. In some examples, if the social affinity score is below athreshold score, it is determined that the item content will not beaccessible by and/or distributed to the particular user. Consequently,although the particular user had been explicitly targeted fordistribution of the item by the author user, the particular user is notprovided in the ACL for the item. In some examples, if the socialaffinity score is at or above the threshold score, it is determined thatthe item content will be accessible by and/or distributed to theparticular user. Consequently, the particular user had been explicitlytargeted for distribution of the item by the author and the particularuser is provided in the ACL for the item.

Generally, the distribution hub determines end points the item data setis to be distributed to based on the ACL. More specifically, the set ofcontacts that may care about the item and/or that are allowed access tothe item is determined based on the ACL, and the ID of the item iswritten to a per user/view index at the distribution hub. When fetchingitems to distribute to a user, the user/view index is accessed and theIDs of the various items that the user is allowed to view aredetermined. The item data sets are retrieved from a data store (e.g.,data store 118 of FIG. 1) and are transmitted to a client deviceassociated with the requesting user. In some implementations, and asdiscussed in further detail herein, the ACL can be provided based on theoverall score, the quality score and/or the social affinity score.

FIG. 3 depicts a screen-shot 300 of an example graphical user interfacefor creating and maintaining social circles. In the screen-shot 300, asocial graph editor user interface (UI) 301 is shown. In someimplementations, the UI 301 can be the interface presented by a purposemade social networking application, while in some implementations the UI301 can be one or more web pages of a social networking websitedisplayed in a general purpose web browser.

In the example of FIG. 3, the UI 301 includes a number of choicespresented in a menu bar 305. In the present example, the “SocialNetwork” choice has been selected by a user. This selection causes aweb-based social networking application to be executed and a socialnetwork menu 310 to be displayed. The social network menu 310 includes aprofile indicator 312 in which information such as a user name 314 and auser image 316 associated with the currently logged in user aredisplayed.

The social network menu 310 also displays, among other items, a socialcircles sub-menu 318. The social circles sub-menu 318, when selected(e.g., as represented by the highlighting of the submenu's title),causes a social circle display 320 to be presented. The social circledisplay 320 includes a number of circles 322 a-322 e that are visualrepresentations of various social circles that the user has created orhas permission to edit. Each of the circles 322 a-322 e displaysinformation about the social circle it represents. For example, thecircle 322 c displays a name 324 a, a count 324 b of the number ofcontacts associated with the social circle, and an indication 324 c ofwhat kind of circle (e.g., personal, private shared, public shared) thatthe circle 322 c is.

The social circle display 320 also includes a contact display 326. Thecontact display 326 provides a graphical interface for viewing,selecting, and organizing items in the user's contact lists. Acollection of contact icons 328 a-328 i represents the contacts or otherentities (e.g., organizations, places, or other items) sociallynetworked with the particular user. In some implementations, the iconscan be digital photos of the contacts they represent (e.g., the icons328 a, 328 d), arbitrary images (e.g., the icons 328 b, 328 g), orplaceholders (e.g., when the contact has no image associated with theiraccount, such as the icon 328 c). In some implementations, the icons caninclude additional information, such as the names of each contact. Ascroll bar 329 is provided for the user to view additional contact iconsthat may not fit into the initial view.

In some implementations, the social network menu 310 can includemultiple individual settings for each social circle. For example, eachsocial circle can have a social circle volume setting associatedtherewith that enables the user to set a volume of items to be displayedin the stream page from the social circle. For example, a user candecrease the number of displayed items from a maximum level (e.g., ALLitems) to reduce the display of items distributed by members of thesocial circle. In this manner, the number of items by a particularlynoisy social circle can be reduced from display to the user. A noisysocial circle can include a social circle in which members veryfrequently distribute items. Example volume settings can include NONE,LESS, NORMAL, MORE and ALL. In some implementations, a user can alsoselect the importance of a social circle using particular attributes,for example the user can set a descriptive name like family, bestfriends, close friends or friends (324 a) to define a social circle.

FIG. 4 depicts a screen-shot of an example stream page 400 for a user ofa social networking service. For example, the stream page 400 can beprovided as a web page within a website of a social networking service,and can display digital content that has been shared with a userassociated with the stream page 400. In the illustrated example, theexample user includes “Rob McDavies” and the stream page 400 displaysitems (e.g., digital content) that other users have shared with the userand/or items that the user has shared with other users. The stream page400 includes a social network menu 402 and an item region 404. Exampleitems 406, 408 that have been distributed to the user are displayed inthe item region 404. Generally, the items 406, 408 displayed in the itemregion 404 include digital content that is distributed to the user fromcontacts established within the social networking service. A contentsharing interface 410 can also be provided in the item region 404. Theuser can activate (e.g., click on) the content sharing interface 410 toshare digital content. Although two items 406, 408 are depicted in FIG.4, it is appreciated that the stream page 400 can display any number ofitems to the user.

Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to selectivelyboosting items displayed in pages for users of a social networkingservice. In some examples, a page can include a stream page thatdisplays digital content that has been posted by the user to the socialnetworking service and/or digital content distributed to the userthrough the social networking service. In some pages, a page can includea search results page that displays digital content that has been postedby the user to the social networking service and/or digital contentdistributed to the user through the social networking service as searchresults responsive to a submitted query. In some implementations, thedisplay of one or more unread items can be boosted to be moreprominently displayed to a user based on an associated timestamp and auser-specific item score, provided as a close-ties score. When the userlogs into the social networking service, a user-specific index of itemsthat have been distributed to the user can be accessed. The index ofitems indicates items that can be displayed to the user within thestream page of the user. In some examples, for each item in the index ofitems, a timestamp and a user-specific close-ties score are provided. Insome examples, user-specific read data is also provided. In someexamples, unread items are identified based on the user-specific readdata, and unread items that are to be boosted are identified based onrespective user-specific close-ties scores to define a set of boostitems. In some examples, each item in the set of boost items includes aclose-ties score that exceeds a threshold close ties score. In someexamples, the set of boost items is a sub-set of a parent set of boostitems. For example, items in the parent set of boost items can includeitems that qualify for boosting in the stream page. However, instead ofboosting all items in the parent set of items, the set of boost itemscan be provided to boost less than all items in the parent set of items.In some examples, the items associated with the highest close-tiesscores can be included in the set of boost items (e.g., the top X out ofY close-ties scores are selected). In some examples, items can berandomly selected for inclusion in the set of boost items. In someexamples, the number of boost items associated with a particular authorcan be limited for a given time period.

In some implementations, each item includes one or more close-tiesscores associated therewith. Each close-ties score corresponds to a userassociated with the item. In some examples, each close-ties score isassociated with a respective user that the item was distributed to (arecipient user). In some examples, each close-ties score is determinedbased on information associated with the author user (e.g., the userthat distributed the item through the social networking service), one ormore recipient users (e.g., users to which the item was directlydistributed) and interacting users (e.g., users to which the item wasindirectly distributed and that have interacted with the item (e.g.,endorsed, commented on, re-shared)).

By way of example, an item can be distributed by an author user to afirst recipient user, a second recipient user and a third recipientuser, where the third recipient user re-shares the item to aninteracting user. In this example, the item can include a firstclose-ties score from the perspective of the first recipient user, wherethe first close-ties score is determined based on data associated withthe author user, the second recipient user, the third recipient user andthe interacting user. In this example, the item can also include asecond close-ties score from the perspective of the second recipientuser, where the second close-ties score is determined based on dataassociated with the author user, the first recipient user, the thirdrecipient user and the interacting user. In some examples, if the itemhas potentially not been read by the first recipient user, the firstclose-ties score can be used to determine whether to boost the item in astream page of the first recipient user. Similarly, if the item haspotentially not been read by the second recipient user, the secondclose-ties score can be used to determine whether to boost the item in astream page of the second recipient user.

In accordance with implementations of the present disclosure, an itemdistributed to a user can be selectively boosted within a stream pagebased on a user-specific close-ties score. In some examples, if theclose-ties score is greater than a threshold close-ties score, the itemis boosted within the stream page for more prominent display to theuser. In some examples, if the item is identified as an unread item, ifthe item was distributed less than a threshold time ago, and if theclose-ties score is greater than a threshold close-ties score, the itemis boosted within the stream page for more prominent display to theuser. In some examples, boosting an item includes changing a position ofthe item within the stream page. In some examples, boosting an itemincludes applying one or more visual and/or audible effects to the item.

As noted herein, the close-ties score (S_(CT_p)) of the item (p)reflects a relevance of the item to the particular user based onrelationships between the user, the author user (v), and one or moreother users (w) associated with the item, and an implied importance ofthe social circle through which the item was distributed to the user. Insome examples, the one or more other users (w) can include otherrecipient users and/or interacting users. In some examples, the socialcircle through which the item was distributed to the user can include asocial circle of the user that the author user is a member of, asdiscussed in further detail below.

In some implementations, the user-specific close-ties score (S_(CT_p))is at least partially determined based on user-to-candidate interactionsscores (S_(CI_x)) and a user-to-circle interactions score (S_(CI_C)). Insome examples, the user-to-candidate interactions scores include auser-to-author interactions score (S_(CI_v)) (e.g., the author user (v)is provided as the candidate), and a user-to-participants interactionsscore (S_(CI_w)) (e.g., one or more participant users (w) are providedas candidates). In some implementations, the user-specific close-tiesscore can be further determined based on one or more other scores. Insome examples, the other scores can include a social circle name score,author-to-user following scores and/or an author-to-user mention score.In some examples, and as discussed in further detail below, the socialcircle name score can be determined based on a user-specified name ofthe social circle, the author-to-user following scores can indicate thesymmetry of a relationship between the user and the author user, and theauthor-to-user mention score is based on whether the user is explicitlymentioned in the item.

In some examples the social circle name score can be set to a maximumvalue (e.g., 1) if the name of the social circle is the same as apre-defined name (e.g., FAMILY). In some examples, the social circlename score can be set to a minimum value (e.g., 0) if the name of thesocial circle is not the same as a pre-defined name (e.g., FAMILY). Insome examples, the social circle name score can be set to a value thatis between the minimum value and the maximum value based on a similarityof the name of the social circle to a pre-defined name. For example, asimilarity score between the name of the social circle and thepre-defined name can be determined and the social circle name score canbe provided based on the similarity score. In some examples, a firstauthor-to-user following score can be set to a maximum value (e.g., 1)if the candidate is a direct contact of the user within the socialnetworking service. In some examples, the first author-to-user followingscore can be set to a minimum value (e.g., 0) if the candidate is not adirect contact of the user within the social networking service. In someexamples, the first author-to-user following score can be set to a valuethat is between the minimum value and the maximum value based on adegree of separation between the user and the author user within thesocial networking service. In some examples, a second author-to-userfollowing score can be based on a percentage of contacts of the authoruser that are also contacts of the user within the social networkingservice.

In some examples, the author-to-user mention score is set to a maximumvalue (e.g., 1) if the author user explicitly mentions the user in aninteraction with the item (e.g., within the original item, in a commentsto the item, the comment explicitly mentioning the user). In someexamples the author-to-user mention score can be set to a minimum value(e.g., 0) if the author user does not explicitly mention the user in aninteraction with the item.

In some implementations, the user-specific close-ties score can befurther determined based on one or more bonuses and/or penalties. Insome examples, a bonus can reflect a greater likelihood that the itemmay be important to the user. In some examples, bonus values can beadded to the close-ties score if a certain number of images and/orvideos are included in the item and/or if the author user rarelydistributes items through the social networking service. In someexamples, a penalty can reflect a greater likelihood that the item maynot be important to the user. In some examples, penalty values can besubtracted from the close-ties score if the number of users that theitem was distributed to is greater than a threshold number of usersand/or if the item is of a particular type (e.g., the item includes avideo chat that is only active for a predetermined period of time). Insome examples, a penalty value can be subtracted from the close-tiesscore, if the author user frequently distributed items through thesocial networking service. In some examples, a posting frequency can bedetermined based on a number of items distributed by the author user ina given time period and, if the posting frequency exceeds a thresholdposting frequency, a penalty value can be subtracted from the close-tiesscore.

In some examples, the close-ties score is determined as a sum of thevarious component scores (e.g., the user-to-author interactions score,the user-to-circle interactions score, the social circle name score, theauthor-to-user following scores, the user-to-participants interactionscore and/or the author-to-user mention score), the bonus values and thepenalty values. In some examples, the sum can be provided as a weightedsum where a weight is applied to each component score, bonus valueand/or penalty value. In this manner, respective influences of eachcomponent score, bonus value and/or penalty value.

By way of example, the user-to-candidate interactions scores (S_(CI_x))are determined based on interactions that the user has had withcandidates associated with the item. As discussed herein, a candidatecan include the author user and one or more participant users. In someexamples, the participant users include other recipient users and/orinteracting users. In some examples, the interactions includeinteractions of each of the candidates and the user in one or morecomputer-implemented services. As noted above, the user-to-candidateinteractions scores (S_(CI_x)) include a user-to-author interactionsscore (S_(CI_v)), which considers the author user as the candidate, anda user-to-participants interactions score (S_(CI_w)), which considersthe participant users as candidates.

In some examples, a user-to-candidate interactions score (S_(CI_x))(e.g., the user-to-author interactions score (S_(CI_v)), or theuser-to-participants interactions score (S_(CI_w))) is determined basedon interactions between the user and the candidate (e.g., the authoruser, or one or more participant users) through one or morecomputer-implemented services (e.g., the social networking service, amicro-blogging service, a blogging service, a document sharing service,an image sharing service and a video sharing service). In some examples,the user-to-candidate interactions score can also be based onreciprocity of data sharing, last name sharing and frequency of itemssharing. In some implementations, the user-to-candidate interactionsscore can be determined based on a number of electronic messages sent tothe candidate user from the user through a computer-implementedelectronic message service. In some examples, the number of electronicmessages can be provided as a normalized value that ranges between aminimum value and a maximum. In some examples the number of electronicmessages can be normalized based on the total number of electronicmessages sent by the user using the computer-implemented electronicmessage service. In some examples, older messages can be discounted suchthat the older messages have less influence on the value determined forthe number of electronic messages. In this manner, older interactions donot impact the number of electronic messages as much as more recentmessages.

In some implementations, the user-to-candidate interactions score can bedetermined further based on a number of electronic messages sent to thecandidate user from the user through a computer-implemented chatservice. In some examples, the number of chat messages can be providedas a normalized value that ranges between a minimum value and a maximum.In some examples the number of chat messages can be normalized based onthe total number of chat messages sent by the user using thecomputer-implemented chat message service. In some examples, older chatmessages can be discounted such that the older chat messages have lessinfluence on the value determined for the number of chat messages. Inthis manner, older interactions do not impact the number of chatmessages as much as more recent interactions.

In some implementations, the user-to-candidate interactions score can bedetermined further based on a number of social interactions from theuser to the candidate user within the social networking service. In someexamples, the social interactions can include private interactions andpublic interactions, where private interactions include interactionsthat are not disclosed to other users of the social networking serviceand public interactions include interactions that are disclosed to otherusers of the social networking service. In some examples, privateinteractions can include private comments from the user to the candidateuser, private endorsements from the user to items distributed by thecandidate user, private shares of items distributed by the candidateuser from the user to other users of the social networking service. Insome examples, public interactions can include public comments from theuser to the candidate user, public endorsements from the user to itemsdistributed by the candidate user, public shares of items distributed bythe candidate user from the user to other users of the social networkingservice. In some examples, the number of social interactions can beprovided as a sum of the private interactions and the publicinteractions. In some examples, the sum can be provided as a weightedsum where weights are applied to each of the private interactions andweights are applied to each of the public interactions. In this manner,the influence of each of the private interactions and the publicinteractions can reflect a significance of each. In some examples,weighting can be applied such that the private interactions influencethe number of social interactions more heavily than do publicinteractions.

In some implementations, the user-to-candidate interactions score can befurther based on an interaction rate. In some examples, the interactionrate can be determined based on the number of social interactions and anadjusted number of shows. In some examples, the adjusted number of showscan be determined based on a number of shows and the number of socialinteractions. In some examples, the number of shows indicates the numberof times an item distributed by the candidate user was displayed in astream page of the user. In some examples, the adjusted number of showscan be determined based on the number of social interactions alone, ifthe number of shows is equal to zero. In some examples, the adjustednumber of shows can be provided as a maximum of one of the number ofshows and the number of social interactions. In some examples, one orboth of the number of shows and the number of social interactions can beweighted. In some implementations, the interaction rate can bedetermined as a ratio based on the number of social interactions and theadjusted number of shows. In some examples, the number of socialinteractions can be provided in the numerator and the adjusted number ofshows can be provided in the denominator.

In some implementations, the user-to-candidate interactions score isdetermined based on the number of electronic messages, the number ofchat messages and the interaction rate. In some examples, weighting canbe applied to one or more of the number of a first type of electronicmessages (e.g., sent through a computer-implemented electronic messageservice), the number of a second type of electronic messages (e.g., sentthrough a computer-implemented chat service) and the interaction rate toadjust the relative influence of each in determining theuser-to-candidate interactions score. In some examples, theuser-to-candidate interactions score is provided as the minimum of thenumber of the first type of electronic messages, the number of thesecond type of messages and the interaction rate. In some examples, theuser-to-candidate interactions score is provided as the minimum of thenumber of the first type of electronic messages, the number of thesecond type of electronic messages, the interaction rate and a constant.In this manner, the constant can provide a cap for the user-to-candidateinteractions score.

With particular reference to the user-to-participants interactions score(S_(CI_w)) (e.g., where each participant user is considered as acandidate), a user-to-participant interactions score is determined foreach participant associated with the item, and the user-to-participantsinteractions score is determined based on the user-to-participantinteractions scores. In some examples, the user-to-participantsinteractions score is determined as an average of theuser-to-participant interactions scores for participant users associatedwith the item. That is, each user-to-participant interactions score isdetermined as discussed above with respect to the user-to-candidateinteractions score, and the user-to-participants interactions score isprovided as an average of the user-to-participant interactions scores.

In some examples, the user-circle interaction score (S_(CI_C)) isdetermined based on the relevance of a social circle for a user,including multiple indicators. In some implementations, the socialcircle considered for the user-circle interaction score (S_(CI_C)) caninclude a social circle of the user that the author user is a member of.In some examples, the author user can be a member of a plurality ofsocial circles. In some examples, user-circle interaction scores can bedetermined for each social circle of the user that the author user is amember of, and the user-circle interaction score having the highestvalue can be used in determining the user-specific close-ties score.

Some examples of user-circle interaction indicators can include the nameof circle, social affinity and reciprocity with members of the circle,social affinity among the members of the circle, a social circle volumevalue, the origin of the circle (e.g., created by the user or shared tothe user), the total number of social circles a user belongs to andother social circle attributes. In some examples, if the social circlevolume value is equal to or less than a threshold volume value (e.g.,LESS), the user-circle interaction score is set equal to a minimum value(e.g., 0). In some examples, if the social circle volume value isexceeds a threshold volume value (e.g., LESS) and the name of the socialcircle is equal to a pre-defined name (e.g., FAMILY), the user-circleinteraction score is set equal to a maximum value (e.g., 0).

In some implementations, if the social circle volume value is exceeds athreshold volume value (e.g., LESS), but the name of the social circleis not equal to the pre-defined name (e.g., FAMILY), the user-circleinteraction score can be determined based on an average number ofinteractions, a reciprocal rate and a volume multiplier. In someexamples, the user-circle interaction score can be determined based onone or more constants, the average number of interactions, thereciprocal rate and the volume multiplier. In some examples, the volumemultiplier is set a first value based on whether the social circlevolume value is set to a first volume value (e.g., NORMAL) and is set toa second value based on whether the social circle volume value is set toa second volume value (e.g., MORE), where the first value is less thanthe second value.

In some implementations, the average user-to-candidate interaction scorecan be determined based on user-to-candidate interaction scores betweenthe user and each member (e.g., candidate) of the social circle. In someexamples, an average number of interactions is determined based on apre-defined constant and an interactions ratio. In some examples, theinteractions ratio is provided as a ratio of a mean user-to-candidateinteractions score within the social circle to a maximaluser-to-candidate interactions score within the social circle. In someimplementations, the reciprocal rate is determined as a ratio based on anumber of symmetric contacts provided in the social circle. In someexamples, the ratio can be provided as the ratio of the number ofcontacts in the social circle that have a symmetric relationship withthe user in the social networking service to the number of contact inthe social circle.

FIG. 5 depicts example item boosting in accordance with implementationsof the present disclosure. FIG. 5 includes example items 500, 502, 504,506, 508, 510. Each item I₁ 500, I₂ 502, I₃ 504, I₄ 506, I₅ 508, and I₆510 includes a close ties score (S_(CT_1), S_(CT_2), S_(CT_3), S_(CT_4),S_(CT_5), S_(CT_6), respectively) and timestamp (t₁, t₂, t₃, t₄, t₅, t₆,respectively) associated therewith. The close-ties scores of an item arespecific to the user. In some examples, the close ties scores of an itemare dynamic in that each close ties score of an item can change basedon, for example, events and social relationships between the user andother users (e.g., candidates) over time. In some implementations,current close ties score of an item and timestamp data are retrieved inresponse to a request to display items to the user (e.g., when the userlogs into the social networking service, when the user clicks on thestream page, when the user refreshes the stream page, or when the streampage is automatically refreshed). In some implementations, theclose-ties score and timestamp data are periodically updated. In someimplementations, data stored in the index of items is automaticallyupdated when a timestamp and/or a close-ties score for an item changes.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, an initial collection of items 500 ais provided. The initial collection of items 500 a includes all items I₁500, I₂ 502, I₃ 504, I₄ 506, I₅ 508, and I₆ 510 that are to be displayedto the user. In some implementations, a set of boost items can bedefined based on whether in item has potentially been read by the user,the close-ties score of the item and the timestamp of the item. In someexamples, the close-ties score of each item can be compared to athreshold close-ties score and any potentially unread items having aclose-ties score that exceeds the threshold close-ties score can beincluded in the set of boost items. In some examples, any potentiallyunread items having a close-ties score that exceeds the thresholdclose-ties score and that was distributed within a threshold time periodcan be included in the set of boost items. In some examples, thethreshold time period can include the last day, the last two days, orthe last week, etc. In some examples, several items can be included inthe set of boost items. In some implementations, only a limited numberof items included in the set of boost items are boosted. Consequently,boosted sub-set of boost items can be defined.

In the depicted example, some items in the initial collection of items500 a, have a close-ties score that exceeds the threshold close-tiesscore. In the depicted example, items 502, 504, 508, 510 each qualifiesfor inclusion in the set of boost items (e.g., have a close-ties scorethat exceeds the threshold close-ties score, is an unread item and wasdistributed within the threshold time period). However, in this example,the number of items that can be boosted in the stream page is limited totwo items. Consequently, a sub-set of boost items 500 b can be providedand can include the items 502, 508. In the depicted example, the item502 can be ranked higher than the item 508 even if out of chronologicalorder based on the respective timestamps (e.g., t₅ is more recent thant₁). In some examples the remainder of the items are provided in an itemset 500 c and can be displayed based on a predefined display strategy(e.g., in chronological order based on the respective timestamps,ranking of items based on scores). Consequently, when the user accessesthe stream page, the items 502, 508 can be displayed more prominentlythan the items 500, 504, 506, 510 (e.g., the items can be displayed inthe following order from top to bottom: item 502, item 508, item 500,item 504, item 506 and item 510.

In some implementations, a threshold number of boosts can be providedover a given time period. In some examples, only X items are boostedeach day even though Y items qualify to be boosted (where X is less thanY).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process 600 that can be executed inimplementations of the present disclosure. In some implementations, theexample process 600 can include operations that are performed using oneor more computer programs executed using one or more data processingapparatus (e.g., one or more client-side computing devices and/or one ormore server-side computing devices). The example process 600 can be usedfor a set of items [item₁, . . . , item_(t)] to be displayed to a user.

A counter p is set equal to 1 (602). It is determined whether anitem_(p) is potentially unread (604). If the item_(p) is potentiallyread by the user, the item_(p) is added to a set of normal items (610).If the item_(p) is potentially unread by the user, it is determinedwhether the user-specific close-ties score associated with the item(S_(CT_p)), exceeds the threshold close-ties score (S_(CT_THR)) (606).If S_(CT_p) does not exceed S_(CT_THR), the item_(p) is added to a setof normal items (610). If S_(CT_p) exceeds S_(CT_THR), it is determinedwhether a time difference (Δt_(p)) exceeds a threshold time difference(Δt_(THR)) (608). In some examples, Δt_(p) is determined as a differencebetween the timestamp associated with the item and a current time (e.g.,the time at which the item is to be displayed to the user). For example,the set time interval Δt_(THR) could be defined such that only itemsshared within the past X hours are eligible for prominent display. IfΔt_(p) exceeds Δt_(THR), the item_(p) is added to a set of normal items(610). If Δt_(p) does not exceed Δt_(THR), the item_(p) is added to theset of boost items (612). It is determined whether the counter p isequal to t (e.g., have all of the items in the set of items [item₁, . .. , item_(t)] been considered) (614). If p is not equal to t, p isincremented (616) and the process 600 loops back to determine whetherthe next item should be added to the set of boosted or the set of normalitems.

If p is equal to t, a sub-set of boost is defined (618). By way ofexample, although X items have been determined to be eligible forprominent display, only Y items are able to be prominently displayed(e.g., X>Y). Instructions for prominent display of the items in thesub-set of boost items are provided (620). For example, instructions forprominent display can include displaying the items in the sub-set ofboost items at the top of the stream page and/or applying one or morevisual effects to items in the sub-set of boost items. Instructions fordisplay of items in the normal set of items are provided (622).

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various formsof the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, orremoved. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Implementations of the present disclosure and all of the functionaloperations provided herein can be realized in digital electroniccircuitry, or in computer software, firmware, or hardware, including thestructures disclosed in this specification and their structuralequivalents, or in combinations of one or more of them. Implementationsof the invention can be realized as one or more computer programproducts, e.g., one or more modules of computer program instructionsencoded on a computer readable medium for execution by, or to controlthe operation of, data processing apparatus. The computer readablemedium can be a machine-readable storage device, a machine-readablestorage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter effecting amachine-readable propagated signal, or a combination of one or more ofthem. The term “data processing apparatus” encompasses all apparatus,devices, and machines for processing data, including by way of example aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple processors or computers.The apparatus can include, in addition to hardware, code that creates anexecution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., codethat constitutes processor firmware, a protocol stack, a databasemanagement system, an operating system, or a combination of one or moreof them.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) can be written in any form of programminglanguage, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can bedeployed in any form, including as a stand alone program or as a module,component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computingenvironment. A computer program does not necessarily correspond to afile in a file system. A program can be stored in a portion of a filethat holds other programs or data (e.g., one or more scripts stored in amarkup language document), in a single file dedicated to the program inquestion, or in multiple coordinated files (e.g., files that store oneor more modules, sub programs, or portions of code). A computer programcan be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computersthat are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

The processes and logic flows described in this disclose can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows can also be performedby, and apparatus can also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for performing instructions and one or more memory devicesfor storing instructions and data. Generally, a computer will alsoinclude, or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer datato, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g.,magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However, a computerneed not have such devices. Moreover, a computer can be embedded inanother device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System (GPS)receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable forstoring computer program instructions and data include all forms of nonvolatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way of examplesemiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks;magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor andthe memory can be supplemented by, or incorporated in, special purposelogic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations of the inventioncan be implemented on a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT(cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, fordisplaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device,e.g., a mouse or a trackball, by which the user can provide input to thecomputer. Other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interactionwith a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can beany form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback,or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in anyform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Implementations of the invention can be realized in a computing systemthat includes a back end component, e.g., as a data server, or thatincludes a middleware component, e.g., an application server, or thatincludes a front end component, e.g., a client computer having agraphical user interface or a Web browser through which a user caninteract with an implementation of the invention, or any combination ofone or more such back end, middleware, or front end components. Thecomponents of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium ofdigital data communication, e.g., a communication network. Examples ofcommunication networks include a local area network (“LAN”) and a widearea network (“WAN”), e.g., the Internet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this disclosure contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what maybe claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific toparticular implementations of the disclosure. Certain features that aredescribed in this disclosure in the context of separate implementationscan also be provided in combination in a single implementation.Conversely, various features that are described in the context of asingle implementation can also be provided in multiple implementationsseparately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, althoughfeatures may be described above as acting in certain combinations andeven initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimedcombination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and theclaimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination or variation ofa sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the implementations described above should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemscan generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

Thus, particular implementations of the present disclosure have beendescribed. Other implementation s are within the scope of the followingclaims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performedin a different order and still achieve desirable results.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method performed by a system of one ormore computers, the method comprising: receiving data characterizingmultiple items of digital content distributed for display to a user, thedata comprising, for each item, (i) respective data identifying the itemas unread by the user or not, (ii) respective data representing aclose-ties score of the item relative to the user, the close-ties scorerepresenting a relative strength of the relationship between the userand one or more other users associated with the item, and (iii) arespective distribution time of the item; for each item of the multipleitems, adding the item to a set of items if and only if (i) the item isidentified as unread by the user, (ii) the close-ties score of the itemis greater than a threshold close-ties score, and (iii) the distributiontime falls within a threshold time before a current time; and providinginstructions for boosting, to a greater prominence of display, one ormore items in the set of items in a stream of items displayed to theuser over other items of the multiple items.
 2. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 1, wherein the user is a user of a computer-implementedservice and the multiple items are distributed for display to the userby the computer-implemented service.
 3. The computer-implemented methodof claim 2, wherein, for each item, the close-ties score of the item isbased on interactions between the user and an author user of the itemwithin the computer-implemented service.
 4. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 3, wherein, for each item, the interactions are based onhow many items of digital content the author user has distributed to theuser within the computer-implemented service.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein, for each item, theclose-ties score of the item is determined based on interactions betweenthe user and one or more participant users associated with the itemwithin the computer-implemented service, wherein the one or moreparticipant users comprise at least one of a recipient user that theitem was distributed to within the computer-implemented service and aninteracting user that interacted with the item within thecomputer-implemented service.
 6. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein how many items are in the one or more items is limitedto a threshold number of items that are to be boosted to a greaterprominence of display within a threshold time of the distribution time.7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining the close-ties score associated with the item based onwhether the user is mentioned within the item.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determiningthe close-ties score associated with the item based on a frequency ofdistribution of items by the author user within the social networkingservice.
 9. A system comprising: one or more computers; and acomputer-readable medium coupled to the one or more computers havinginstructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or morecomputers, cause the one or more computers to perform operationscomprising: receiving data characterizing multiple items of digitalcontent distributed for display to a user, the data comprising, for eachitem, (i) respective data identifying the item as unread by the user ornot, (ii) respective data representing a close-ties score of the itemrelative to the user, the close-ties score representing a relativestrength of the relationship between the user and one or more otherusers associated with the item, and (iii) a respective distribution timeof the item; for each item of the multiple items, adding the item to aset of items if and only if (i) the item is identified as unread by theuser, (ii) the close-ties score of the item is greater than a thresholdclose-ties score, and (iii) the distribution time falls within athreshold time before a current time; and providing instructions forboosting to a greater prominence of display of one or more items in theset of items in a stream of items displayed to the user over other itemsof the multiple items.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user is auser of a computer-implemented service and the multiple items aredistributed for display to the user by the computer-implemented service.11. The system of claim 10, wherein, for each item, the close-ties scoreof the item is based on interactions between the user and an author userof the item within the computer-implemented service.
 12. The system ofclaim 11, wherein, for each item, the interactions are based on how manyitems of digital content the author user has distributed to the userwithin the computer-implemented service.
 13. The system of claim 10,wherein, for each item, the close-ties score of the item is determinedbased on interactions between the user and one or more participant usersassociated with the item within the computer-implemented service,wherein the one or more participant users comprise at least one of arecipient user that the item was distributed to within thecomputer-implemented service and an interacting user that interactedwith the item within the computer-implemented service.
 14. The system ofclaim 9, wherein how many items are in the one or more items is limitedto a threshold number of items that are to be boosted to a greaterprominence of display within a threshold time of the distribution time.15. The system of claim 9, the operations further comprising determiningthe close-ties score associated with the item based on whether the useris mentioned within the item.
 16. The system of claim 9, the operationsfurther comprising determining the close-ties score associated with theitem based on a frequency of distribution of items by the author userwithin the social networking service.
 17. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing software comprising instructionsexecutable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, causethe one or more computers to perform operations comprising: receivingdata characterizing multiple items of digital content distributed fordisplay to a user, the data comprising, for each item, (i) respectivedata identifying the item as unread by the user or not, (ii) respectivedata representing a close-ties score of the item relative to the user,the close-ties score representing a relative strength of therelationship between the user and one or more other users associatedwith the item, and (iii) a respective distribution time of the item; foreach item of the multiple items, adding the item to a set of items ifand only if (i) the item is identified as unread by the user, (ii) theclose-ties score of the item is greater than a threshold close-tiesscore, and (iii) the distribution time falls within a threshold timebefore a current time; and providing instructions for boosting to agreater prominence of display of one or more items in the set of itemsin a stream of items displayed to the user over other items of themultiple items.
 18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, whereinthe user is a user of a computer-implemented service and the multipleitems are distributed for display to the user by thecomputer-implemented service.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim18, wherein, for each item, the close-ties score of the item is based oninteractions between the user and an author user of the item within thecomputer-implemented service.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim19, wherein, for each item, the interactions are based on how many itemsof digital content the author user has distributed to the user withinthe computer-implemented service.